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Rockin’ the Occult A look at rock ‘n’ rollers’ infatuation with the supernatural By Kendall Polidori
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ock ‘n’ roll often embodies the paranormal. In the late 1960s, bands like Coven and Black Widow helped create a subgenre called occult rock that incorporated elements of hard rock, proto-metal, psychedelic rock, progressive rock and blues. The most notable example was Iron Butterfly’s 1968 track In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. The new wave of music had lyrics referencing the occult, horror movies and occult-related novels. But the otherworldly themes didn’t necessarily include worshiping the devil. Just the same, some alleged that satanic rituals led to the recent Astroworld incident, where eight concertgoers died and 300 were badly injured during a performance by Travis Scott. A TikTok video even labeled the festival a “ritual to sacrifice souls.” Earlier this year, rapper Lil Nas X ignited an uproar when he released a video for his song MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) that showed him performing a lap dance for a satanic figure. So, is there a deeper connection between music and the occult? It might be a matter of personal belief.
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1956
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins recorded the single I Put a Spell on You, launching what seems like a thousand covers. The song and Hawkins’ onstage histrionics bring to mind Hoodoo, a set of spiritual beliefs and practices that arose among enslaved Americans.
1967
The Beatles released the album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band with a cover that depicts a crowd of celebrities, including Aleister Crowley, an early 20th-century English occultist who founded a religion called Thelema.
1967
The Rolling Stones album Their Satanic Majesties Request may have marked the first time the demon’s name appeared on the cover of a major pop record. The Stones’ musical career has connected with satanic imagery a number of times, including on the song Sympathy for the Devil on the 1969 album Let it Bleed. The group’s reputation for the occult worsened that same year with the accidental death of member Brian Jones.
Luckbox | January / February 2022
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